CfA Pushes Back on Election Futures Betting
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** CfA's July 28, 2023 Newsletter
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With your support, Campaign for Accountability is working to expose corruption and hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
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CfA Pushes Back on Election Futures Betting
On Monday, CfA submitted a comment ([link removed]) urging the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to reject a proposal to allow betting on election outcomes via futures exchanges. In this case, a regulated exchange called KalshiEX wanted to offer “congressional control contracts” based on which party would hold either the House or Senate for a given term. KalshiEx isn’t a stranger to this type of gambling, and currently allows individuals to place bets on real-world events like the writers guild strike or the likelihood of a government shutdown. CfA’s comment expresses concern about introducing additional financial incentives into the electoral process – interests which are entirely divorced from the policy positions of elected officials. Read the rest of CfA’s argument here
([link removed]) .
Sen. Warren Calls for Investigation into Google’s Search for Health Data
Last December, ProPublica revealed ([link removed]) that Google had attempted to gain access to a vast repository of human tissue samples stored at the Joint Pathology Center (JPC), which stands on a US military base and serves the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other federal agencies. The samples had been collected from veterans going back over a century, and many individuals had not consented to participate in future medical research. Google said it wanted to use the JPC’s archive to create diagnostic medical tools, but staff within DoD raised concerns of favoritism ([link removed]) , and found Google’s lobbying to be “relentless ([link removed]) .” Now, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is requesting more information
([link removed]) from Google about its campaign to access the military’s samples –a spokesperson from the Warren’s office told ProPublica that these inquiries could be the prelude to a Senate investigation.
Voting Rights Groups Express Concern About Threads
During Meta’s earnings call ([link removed]) this week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg described Threads as “an app for public discussion” which he is prepared to “pour gasoline on” once its basic functionalities are built. For a platform that aspires ([link removed]) to reach a billion users, Threads has steered away from tricky questions of content moderation; a coalition of major voting rights organizations, for instance, is still waiting ([link removed]) for Meta to respond to their letter asking about the company’s plans to combat election disinformation on Threads. This lack of transparency is particularly concerning in light of Meta’s decision to lay off
([link removed].) staff from election integrity teams, including those who handled the 2022 midterms. If Threads truly aspires to take Twitter’s place, it will have to clarify its policies on disinformation and decide what, if any, role it will play in fact-checking.
What We're Reading
Regulation could disrupt the booming “kidfluencer” business ([link removed])
U.S. District Court Issues Decision on Crypto Currency Regulation ([link removed])
How the Ultrawealthy Use Private Foundations to Bank Millions in Tax Deductions While Giving the Public Little in Return ([link removed])
** Follow Our Work:
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We thank you for your continued support. Without people like you, our work would not be possible.
Here is how you can stay involved and help us accomplish our mission:
1. Follow CfA on Twitter ([link removed]) .
2. Follow the Tech Transparency Project on Twitter ([link removed]) .
3. Tell your friends and colleagues ([link removed]) about CfA.
4. Send us a tip ([link removed]) .
5. Make a tax-deductible donation ([link removed]) .
Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
Sincerely,
Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
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